By James Mackenzie

PARIS, June 18 (Reuters) - Asian countries are likely to resist fixed quotas on greenhouse gas emissions but there is growing awareness of the need to act on climate change, South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said on Monday.

Han, in Paris to support South Korea's bid to host Expo 2012, said Seoul was taking an active part in persuading developing countries to adopt cleaner technology and he said attitudes in Korea to environmental issues had turned around.

But he was sceptical about whether rapidly industrialising countries like China or India would be ready to sign up to compulsory caps on greenhouse emissions under a future successor agreement to the Kyoto climate change accord.

"Many developing countries are saying that the physical, quantitative reduction of gas quotas compared with 1990 may be too unrealistic," Han told reporters.

"Unless your industrial structures are more knowledge-intensive it's very hard, realistically to reduce the absolute level of your energy consumption," he said.

Any attempt to force quotas on industrialising countries would be more likely to force them out of a global deal altogether and it made more sense to try to improve the quality of technology and infrastructure to cut emissions.

Han's comments follow the agreement by G8 countries to make substantial cuts in emissions and to try to reach a new deal to fight global warming by 2009 to replace the Kyoto pact on global emissions, which expires in 2012.

The Kyoto protocol obliges 35 rich nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2008-12. Nations concerned about climate change are working to find a replacement deal for the post-2012 era.

"I can assure you of one thing. Korea has much more intention of participating, we will actively participate in that process," he said.

South Korea, a major steel, ship and car manufacturer, has made big progress cleaning up its environment in recent years but an OECD report noted its carbon dioxide emissions were among the highest in the OECD.

"It's true Korea was not very decisive on this point and the overall environmental conditions of Korea might have been a little bit less satisfactory from an outsider's point of view but that situation has totally changed," Han told reporters.

He said South Korea's environmental concerns were underlined by its bid to win the Expo 2012 for the southern city of Yeosu, a major industrial port centre located near two national parks which highlighted the need for managing coastal areas.

"On the occasion of this Yeosu Expo, we would like to awaken Asia's perceptions of the issue of climate change and the environment," he said.

As well as aiming to host the Expo, South Korea would also be announcing a packet of financial aid to help developing countries with climate change projects, he said.

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